Team sports have always been inherently social, as demonstrated by the phenomenon of baseball cards, which could be amassed, shared, and traded; now a new company called the Virtual Fan Network,
founded in 2011, is helping athletes and advertisers reach fans via "virtual fan cards," which carry key stats and can be shared via social media, and which can also carry advertising and
sponsorships. ...Read the whole story

The company, which has backed the marathon for 14 years, is partnering with electro-funk duo Chromeo on a marathon music track with a theme around "Stop at Never." The music will include ambient noises of New York as they might be experienced by marathon runners. ...Read the whole story

Sir Richard's Condoms has launched what it dubs a non-procreators' holiday with a new online and social media campaign via advertising agency TDA_Boulder that might be thought of as a kind of anti-Mother's Day pitch. ...Read the whole story

Some 43% of retailers said they will raise online marketing budgets -- investing in either mobile, social or email marketing channels during the holiday season, according to a new study analyzing expectation of holiday advertising and sales. ...Read the whole story

Starting Nov. 6, the fast-casual chain will feature a limited-time menu with 11 items themed to the movie, including a Hobbit Hole Breakfast, Frodo's Pot Roast Skillet and a Build Your Own Hobbit Slam, which includes new holiday items like Pumpkin Patch Pancakes. ...Read the whole story

Not surprisingly, Facebook is number one in Impact Media Value, partly because of news around its stock being way overvalued. Apple passed Google to be number two with the iPhone 5 debut, and negative press on iOS 6 Maps. Google is number three. ...Read the whole story

Each flake was actually a $3 off coupon -- 1,300 in all -- to encourage trial of the product. By the end of the day, passersby had yanked off enough coupons to reveal the smooth skin of the billboard model, and the company had a compelling time-lapse video. ...Read the whole story

Around The Net

In its third-quarter earnings report, Amazon took a writedown of $169 million for its stake in daily deals site LivingSocial. That is nearly equal to the $175 million the ecommerce giant paid for the Groupon rival less than two years ago. Along with Groupon’s sagging stock price, Mashable suggests that the writedown is the clearest sign yet “that the daily deals bubble has burst.” Making matter worse for Amazon, the company reported its first quarterly net loss in four years, despite strong net sales. ...Read the whole story

Zynga Inc., the biggest maker of social games, reported third-quarter revenue that surpassed analysts' estimates partly because "FarmVille 2" became the most popular application on Facebook Inc.'s social network. Sales rose 3.2% to $316.6 million. Analysts on average predicted revenue of $291.5 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. ...Read the whole story

Data is truly the common currency that advertising will use in the years to come, and cultivating a strategy and infrastructure to leverage its power is what will define the success or failure of tomorrow's organizations. ...More

Consumers like their choices for cable and satellite alternatives, and they're also expected to buy more connected TV sets this year. Those are among the findings of a pair of recently released studies tracking the growing ...More

The majority of Twitter and Facebook users -- 83% and 71%, respectively -- expect a response from a brand within the same day of posting. Some 71% of consumers who experience a quick and effective response ...More